Life is great. There is nothing that I can think of to gripe about as I close out the year. Oh, maybe an election or two could have gone different, a football team or two could have won just one more game than they did, but over all when it comes right down to it, neither the politicians nor the football team will feed me for the next year. So again I must declare, life is great.

We have lost some wonderful neighbors this past year. The have moved on to different life styles and will have to depend more and more on other people to keep them going. We have lost some family members to the grim reaper. He is always poking his head into peoples lives at unpredictable moments.

I wish to thank Barry Worrell at the Aldersonian and Dave Shields at the Ware Op-ed for continuing to carry the blathering that I put forth in On My Duff. I certainly enjoy and with to thank those who have let me know their feelings about the articles and whether its good or bad I do take every message serious. I have thought of building in a scream room for those moments when I get a negative reply to an article. I would like to thank all those crooked politicians out there that give me cause to unload on their being sorry excuse for an elected public servant. I would like lastly, but most importantly, wish to thank my wonderful wife who has been such an inspiration. Believe me I have re-written more than one article because she brought forth the common sense into the sense and sensibility of my writings.

The season of Christmas is so fleeting and it ends so abruptly. My wife was saying just yesterday, "how do we or how can we make it last longer?" My only answer is to live everyday as though it was Christmas. Keep those wonderful thoughts about your friends and family going even after all the Yule trim is put away in the attic for another year. Most importantly keep the reason for the season, let the baby Jesus live and grow in and around you in the coming year.

It is taking on quite a festive mood around here since Thanksgiving. I must admit that I am feeling just a tad guilty for wanting to just celebrate Christmas. So to be politically correct (whatever that means) we have put up our Christmas tree, a Menorah, some Kwanzaa lights out on the patio. I don’t know what the symbol for Ramadan is, so we just pitched a Bedouin tent in the back yard. Oh and I almost forgot my Asian friends so we put up a Buddha shrine and we all go by and pat the fat guys belly every morning for luck.. Let me see have I left anyone out..... oh no, I almost forgot my atheist friends, what to do.... what to give.. I have it, I’ll just tell them all where they can go.........